Unrelated Sounds
by Mrs.President
Summary: This story is about a girl with the self given alias; Julia Ruckus. She's 18, and this takes place back in 2000. She believes life is never going to get any better. Of course she has a mysterious past, and doesn't like life until she meet 2D and The Gang.
1. Chapter 1

"Six dollars, and six cents." I sighed in a bored fashion. I looked back down at my guitar case, and spotted the neglected and crumbled up green paper; a dollar bill. "Seven." I corrected my previous number, then I stuffed the money into my jean pocket. The pants I wore, were my only pair. They were worn down, with random rips in them. They were my favorite pair ever. I wouldn't give them up for the world.

I inhaled the last drag of my cigarette and then chucked the useless butt at the ground without any negative feeling toward that being my last cigarette. I packed my guitar into the bag like case; cautiously laying it upon her brother, Riley; My brother's base. His red, unknown name, one of a kind, base guitar. The guitar I was putting away from my own Les Paul. The base's name was Riley, because I had named him Riley, after my brother, though it's original name was Dansin. I zipped up the case and stood up. I stretched my hands up toward the sky, whimpered a little as my back cracked when I leaned back; that's when the rain started to drizzle. I looked up at the sky, there was no wind so the rain came straight down. Then my eyes wandered down to the guitar case, I muttered a thanks to Karma for my guitar case being water proof. I was thankful I had some form of security in my life somewhere, but I couldn't say the same about my sweater as it slowly began to absorb the droplets of water that hit me. I put the guitar strap around my shoulder, and looked around decided where to walk too.

The gas station was about a good seven blocks away, and in the short amount of time it took for me to arrive there, I was soaked. My sopping wet, bold ebony hair clung in chunks to my slightly oddly pale face. People often mistake me of looking, rather sick, due to my rather pale complexion, and the bags under my eyes, apparently my eyes looked vacant. I couldn't help it though, I mean, how fantastic should I look if I'm sleeping at the hard wooden park bench, or subway seats. I had two eyes that were different colors, my right eye was a dull blue, and my left eyes matched the exact amount of dullness, except it was a green. Though they were rarely seen past my bangs that were always in my face. My hair was choppy and shoulder length, with messy looking, with random layers. The red ribbon was in my hair, like usual, but not holding my hair back as was the original purpose.

I sighed heavily, a bit annoyed by the way the cashier eyed me the moment I walked into the little convenient store. As I was walking down an isle, I looked over my shoulder and meet eyes with him. He held a hard stare against my apathetic one, and I turned away as someone else entered the store. I browsed threw the chips and candy isle, his eyes fixed on my fingers as he watched very carefully as I picked up a candy bar and looked at me for a few moments. I placed it back in the same exact spot I had gotten it from. After a few minutes of browsing, I grew sick and tired of his constant watch over me, it was the fifth time I was in there that week, I mean, what did I do to make him so convinced I was a thief? I gritted my teeth, his lack of ANY trust made a great deal of anger swell within me. My eyes looked to my side to look out the window. The rain hadn't let up any, and I didn't feel like getting drenched again. I watched the rain splash off the ground, creating a mist up a few feet; illuminating my reflection in the window. I blew at my bangs, again in a bored fashion. Boredom was what I mainly felt most of the time. I saw the little black, scratchy, jagged looking creature dance in the rain on the empty street. That thing followed me around, sometimes it looked like a cat, and sometimes it looked like a dog. I'm not sure what it was, but it's been more loyal to me then most friends. I think it lacked the ability to help me with anything, but it never left me. Always, it's been there. Everyone else who saw it, thought it was a freaky looking cat, and sometimes only I could see it. The relationship between me and the 'demon' was a love/hate thing.

I looked down at the magazines in front of me, and picked up a copy of Dazed And Confused one, and began to casually flip threw it.

"You have to buy them before you read." The cashier called flatly, smiling inwardly that he finally had something to yell at me for. He crossed his chuddy, hairy arms, over his pudgy chest, and upon his bulging gut. His boring brown eyes looked ten times larger, and like they were pressed right up against his, perfect circle glasses. His hair was a gray/brown color, more than obvious combed over to the left. I stared at the top of his shiny head for a moment, wondering if he ever thought about waxing it. His pudgy little finger pointed at the magazine still in my hands.

I threw it back at the rack, with such force it bounced off the other magazines and then to the floor. A few mindless magazines followed the actions of their comrade and fell from the rack as well. I just looked out the window blankly, concentrating on Delex, the little shadow demon thing playing in the rain. The way it moved about freely, dancing in the rain signified that no one but me could see him today. I took a few unnoticeable deep breaths to calm my sudden, explosive, random anger and urges. Getting the policed called on me was something I could no afford.

Once I thought the cashier was safe, I approached the counter. He leaned back a bit, I could tell he sensed my anger, almost alimenting off of me.

"One pack of Marlboro Reds." I growled, reaching into my pocket for the money.

"I.D." He said sharply with a smug look, not even giving me a chance to reach my money. His eyes held some sort of mask that read, 'I'm not scared of some little girl'.

I gritted my teeth, and tried to stay calm. From the corner of my eye I seen Delex pressed his charcoal black faces against the glass; watching me curiously, waiting to see me angry again. I sighed, I didn't have an I.D. I didn't have anything besides the clothes on my back, and the two guitars. I had lost everything in that life eating fire. I knew I was a bit shorter than most girls my age, but I knew for a fact it wasn't by much. My hands balled themselves into fists, and I was ready to punch him square in the face' mainly aiming to brake his glasses that for some reason bothered me so much.

"Uhm, she's buying those for me actually."

A bit surprised, I looked over at the tall, blue haired man beside me. He towered over me maybe a good foot. His eyes were badly bruised, making his eyes look like endless holes, that seemed to easy to get lost in. His hair was untidy, and he had a white baseball cap places backwards on his head; some of his azure blue hair stuck out from the little patch on the back of the hat. He was a very thin man, lanky, that's the word. I could smell cigarette smoke just from standing next to him, and just that little smell was able to calm my nerves. His shoulders were wet too, he wasn't wearing a jacket, like me.

"Hi." He greeted kindly, his voice was a bit peaceful.

"Hey." I replied in a quiet, nervous-like voice which wasn't like me at all. I quickly turned away.

The cashier looked at the man, and knew he was over eighteen and decided not to ask this man, obviously capable of beat the shit out of the cashier, for an I.D. He just rung up the price, and I was about to place a five down but the stranger already threw a five down. I looked at him, wanting to thank him but not knowing how. I was always a stubborn kid. So I just remained quiet.

"Here you go, sir." The cashier held the smokes to the man.

I swiped them from his hand and my eyes meet with the stranger man's. I felt a weird feeling swirling within me. He was a nice, generous man I could tell.

"Thank you. A lot." I whispered appreciatively.

My instinct told me to get away from him. With a few more moments of eye contact, I walked out of the gas station, right into the pouring rain. My heart was pounding, and I had no idea why. I lit a cigarette to help calm my shaking nerves. There was something about the man that made me feeling something. I decided it would be best not to wonder about it too long, so I decided right then I'd go to my favorite coffee shop. It was called Electric Fetus; it was cheap, and the for the price of the food it didn't taste half bad. They also held live performances every now and then, and also sold records. It was a great place to think, and the atmosphere it held was relieving and welcoming. The lighting was dim, with walls of a dark soft purple, black lining and black ceiling fans.


	2. Chapter 2

I walked up the smooth, cold, purple with black lines linoleum counter.

"The usual, Juli?" Mike asked from the other side of the counter as he prepared a milkshake from another costumer.

I pushed my hood down and nodded, 'Julia' was what I told everyone my name was. This was a complete lie. I guess, if you looked at it from a certain angle, my whole life was a lie, if you looked at it as a life. I gestured toward the spot where I usually sat, and he nodded. Either, if I had enough money or not, he'd bring it out to me. Mike and I were good friends, and he was somewhat aware of my shortage of money.

I placed the guitar case against the side of the wood of the booth before I sat down, and blew into my bare hands. They were slightly red from the coldness of outside. The rain had left it's cold touch on my sweater, so I took it off, and put it beside me in the booth as I prepared to wait patiently for my cappuccino. The soft chime of the bell above the door just happened to catch my attention and I looked up toward it. The blue haired man walked in, and my heart skipped a beat, and I gasped. I couldn't deny the fact that he was cute, but in my predicament, it was pointless getting involved with someone romantically.

_Was he following me?_

He looked around the dimly lit café for a place to sit. His eyes scanned over me, maybe he didn't recognize me? But then his eyes moved right back to me, and he smiled slightly and waved. I froze, what was I supposed to do? Get up? Run? Leave? Hit him?

I felt my heart start beating oddly, the pace quickened. I hadn't felt emotions in a while, it felt somewhat new to me, but I remembered it. It was nervousness, and I had horrible social anxiety. He started walking over toward me and all I could do was watch.

"Do you mind if I sit here for a little bit?" He asked me kindly.

The kindness in his voice, for some reason made me feel pathetic. Why was I so scared? I stared at him blankly for a few moments before I shook the expression off of my face, "Oh no. I don't mind. Go ahead. "

He smiled again and my anxiety vanished, "Ello, my name's 2D. Well that's what everyone calls me anyway."

"It's nice to meet you 2D. People call me Julia. Julia Ruckus." I said a bit awkwardly.

"That's a wicked last name you have. I like it." He commented, getting comfortable at the table.

I smiled a little, "Yeah. So thanks for the cigarettes earlier, I really needed them." I replied conversationally.

"No problem, just helping a cute girl out."

His little pick up line got a laugh out of me, but then I stopped once I realized I was laughing, "So, did you, like, follow me here?" I blurted as Mike placed my cappuccino in front of me.

"I'll have a coffee two cream two sugar." 2D order, Mike nodded and smiled at the both of us.

My question made him smile, "Actually, there's a live performance I wanted to see tonight, so I was on my way here before I ran into you, there at the gas station." he explained.

I nodded understandingly, as I took a sip of my hot drink and burning my lips. "Just cheking. Making sure you weren't a stalker." I dug the pack of cigarettes out of my discarded sweater, and put one between lips, then offered the nice stranger one.

He reached over the table and grabbed one, "So, I take it you play guitar?" We both lit up at the same time, and exhaled awkwardly at the same time.

"Yes." I knew he was referring to my guitar bag, "There's actually a bass guitar in there as well. Just people don't usually pay to here a bass guitar, not when it's not plugged into an amp anyways." I shrugged. Our cigarette smoke intertwined in the air above us. I noticed he was missing his two front teeth, but it take away from his pretty boy looks any.

He smiled, "How long have you been playing both?"

_Was he interrogating me? Maybe he really was a stalker… or an FBU agent. Shit._

"_Well…" I paused; thinking about my past was painful, and I had kept my memories locked up in a back room in my head, that way I only remembered them when I wanted too. "My brother used to play bass, so he taught me when I was eight. I just kept playing ever since, and I taught myself how to play guitar when I was thirteen." There was something about him that seemed to bright upon hearing my bit. I shifted unease in the seat. _

"_Have you ever played for anybody?" He asked in such a way, it reminded me of a little kid. _

_I shook my head slowly, "Not anyone but myself."_

"_Well I'd lik-"_

"_Ladies and gentlemen!" A loud, deep voice boomed over the loud speakers of the café and the lights dimmed even more, and a bright center light was shone directly at Mike._

_There was a moment of silence and I heard 2D say, "He never got me my coffee." And I had to laugh._

"_I'd like to welcome you all, to Electric Fetus's Talent Night!"_

"_I'm in a band." 2D said loudly, attempting to be louder than the voice of Mike, which I'm sure he felt awkward for, because even I did. _

"_Oh really?" I raised my eyebrow as Mike introduced a band, my eyes fixated on the stage._

_He tried to say something else, but everyone started clapping to make the garage band feel welcomed. I could barely see his mouth moving in the darkness, but I couldn't hear a word he was saying. I looked around and put my cigarette in the ash tray. I looked at my pretend watch, and made a surprised face. I knew he was watching the whole time, and was able to put the obvious to thought, "I have to go." I mouthed. It took him a few tries before he could read my lips, "Thanks for the cigarettes." I shook the pack and smiled. I put my guitar case on, and he looked reluctant to let me leave. I gave him a peace sign, and mouthed, "See you soon."_

_I wasn't planning on seeing him any time soon. I actually was planning on trying to never see him again. I'm not sure why I didn't trust him, he was a pretty nice guy. _

_The rain had lightened up, but the sun was starting to set. I didn't know what to do with the remaining day light I had left. I frowned, why did I leave 2D? I liked his company, I just felt a bit awkward. I sighed, and started walking in a random direction. When the set was finally set, it left the city in a blanket of coldness, which is really ironic if you think about it. Blankets are supposed to keep you warm._


	3. Chapter 3

She plucked at the guitar strings; growling at how messed up and out of tune the fools last night made it. A few kids thought they could get away with stealing her guitar, which they had for a grand total of eight minutes. She had left it outside of the toilets, and when she came out it was gone. Quick to anger, she sniffed it out, hunted down, and found the three seventeen year old hooligans, passing it around, playing around with it. She was basically unseen when she attacked them, and kicked the shit out of all of them.

Anger was probably her worst down fall. Sometimes she had control over it, sometimes she didn't. But when she didn't, she could really rearrange someone's face, and soon after, she'd have to flee in a panic so she didn't get involved with the police. She couldn't afford to get caught, or get any deeper with them then she already was.

No. Lillian Records was wanted by the police all across the country.

Not Julia Ruckus. She was a simple nineteen year old girl that didn't bother any one and played guitar on the corner for cash.

Julia's black hair was shiny and soft looking as it reflected in the sun, you could tell it was dyed black due to the blue tint, and because of how dark it was, is that made sense. I mean, it looked remarkably good for being washed in a gas station sinks. Most people didn't know what her eyes being two different colors due to her bangs always covering her eyes. She always wore a red ribbon in her hair, only because it had belonged to her brother once; he had given it to her to keep the hair out of her face when she was learning how to play bass. Only she hadn't used it for that purpose since the car crash.

"Go away." She hissed sharply, her words dripping with venom.

Thought she continued to tune her guitar, and not even looking up at whoever she was directing the order too, her bystanders, some walking by, some waiting for her to play something, she knew they must have thought she was crazy because that was the forty-seventh time she had hissed something real mean to what appeared to be thin air. To everyone else that that wasn't Julia it was thin air. But Julia saw the truth, she saw the demon sitting directly in front of her a few feet. It liked to follow her. It used to give her a hard time, sometimes it hid her shoes, or ran away with her money. One times it have broke four strings on her guitar; Julia beat him back to hell. No one touched her most prized possession, human or not, she would kill them, even if they were already dead.

One several occasion it had possessed her. It never did any real damage, just rob a small convenient store one, and picked a few fights, or sometimes it just did it for the joy of being human again. That was the only reason Julie didn't really mind it. It enjoyed her life more than she did.

"Are you going to play something?"

Slowly, she glared up at the interruption, and her eyes locked with a young boy's. He looked around the age of twelve. He had the same eyes of her brother when he was his age; a shining emerald green. That was the age he had taught her how to play guitar, and it made some emotions swirl within her, and her eyes felt like a water fall and she looked back down at her guitar, and continued to tune it. She was never really satisfied with the sound. She knew she needed new strings, but she knew she could never afford them.

Her fingers automatically started playing when she realized her guitar was never going to get anymore tuned. She watched the shadows come and go for all the hours she played. One shadow in particular caught her eye. The man that she shadow belonged to stood there for about ten minutes straight without moving before he walked away. His silhouette reminded Julia of the blue haired man that had made himself known to her as 2D. But she hadn't seen in in over two weeks, and she doubted she ever would again. She listened and watched change being thrown in to her open guitar case, and eventually lost count. The sun was beginning to set, and she just focused on her guitar. For all she knew there could have been no one standing around to watch her, or there could have been hundreds, but she only sensed her guitar.

Until someone threw something on the ground right in front of her, and it didn't sound like money, and it broke her concentration. The object sounded heavier, and her eyes snapped open. She saw a case of new guitar string just laying in front of her, along with the familiar silhouette, that was now a longer shadow standing there. Her eyes slowly looked up to his face, her heart skipped a beat. There, in front of her, stood 2D. She hadn't realized she had stopped playing.

"I thought your guitar might need new strings." He shrugged.

"Oh.. Uhm…" She tried to strum, but it made a horrible sound, causing goose bumps to appear on her flesh, and guitar strong broke, and lashed at her hand. She pulled her hand back and examined her wound. There was a red line where it had struck her and broke skin. Blood was beginning to appear in the gasp between her broken skin.

"Are you okay?" He knelt in front of her, looking at her face with concern.

Something inside of her refused, then that voice that consulted itself as her addiction stirred. The last two months with grandparents, she had a really bad brush up with pills. Painkillers to be exact. She went to work all messed up on them and got fired. Her grandparents found out soon after, and they stopped giving her any money. She thought she'd go crazy without them, but it wasn't even that bad. Her addiction became a voice, and parted from the rest of her brain, and found some other empty captivity in her brain, and nestled in there and slept all the time now. Now a days she had no money for drugs anyways.

A drop of blood dripped off of her hand and into the guitar, "Shit." She muttered and looked around her for something to clean it up.

He dug in his pocket and held something out to her, "Here." It was a napkin.

She had no choice, she had to accept it. He took the guitar from her lap and she had to freeze herself so she wouldn't lung at him. She didn't know how she'd feel if she had hurt this guy. She pressed the napkin to her hand and he wiped the blood of the instrument with his shirt. Julie stood up and so did he. Her nerves had calmed down, and started to become more comfortable seeing 2D holding her guitar.

"I've never played guitar really." He put the strap around his shoulder, and played a few random notes, "I mostly play keyboard and sing and stuff."

"You perform? Oh yeah, that is, you're in a band right?" She asked, looking up to him in true curiosity. She had remembered him saying something about it the last time they meet.

He was about to say something, but then looked down at her hand, both of them knowing it was probably going to need stitches. "I'll be right back." And he placed her guitar down gently, then left in sort of a hurry. Julie. He was back within minutes, with a bunch of supplies, a bunch of medical supplies.

"2D, you didn't have too.." She said softly.

"You better get that fixed before it gets infected." He grabbed her hand, and her eyes widen at the unexpected contact with someone else. She had isolated herself for so long, she forgot how it felt.

He handle her wounded hang with such care, people looked at them with slight awe. He cleaned the spot off gently, and then applied butterfly band aids to keep the cut closed. Then he got a pad of gauze and used medical tape to make sure the band aids were protected.

"There." 2D sat up, and Julie examined her hand in amazement. The stinging pain was gone, and it seemed all better. Not that cuts and bruises were anything knew to her. She had a bruise on her chin was when she was pushed in her old kitchen and she fell, and hit her chin on the counter. And another scar on her forehead from a frying pan. She felt like she did when she was little, and her mom used to kissed her boo-boo's better, and she had someone there to take care of her. The only difference now what that she was nineteen, and this was a guy she barely even knew.

"I can help you put the new strings on your guitar, or some fink." He looked at her hand, then put the guitar back into the case, after taking out the money, "You play for money?"

She took her eyes off the bandage, "Yeah." She nodded briefly, trying to now make it sound like she was in trouble with money, which technically she was. He handed her the money, then offered his hand to her to help her up. She looked at his hand like it was something new, then she thought that it didn't matter how hard she tried, she wasn't going to be able to brush off this apparent to be, friendship. Just go with the flow..

"Would you like to go get coffee with me?" He asked so suddenly, so simply.

She just stared blankly at his feet for a moment, then she grabbed his hand and he brought her back to her feet effortlessly. She didn't have the money to spend. She barely knew him. She opened her mouth to object but he intervened on purpose.

"I can buy for you… if you want." He added quickly.

Julie didn't know what he was thinking, and it bothered her. She was normally good at reading people. She was looking in his eyes, and knew she could never pass by anything free, "I gues.. I would like too."

They walked to Electric Fetus, smoking, and talking a little bit; just about little things, like the people they've seen and meet, and placed they visited.

"I've always liked traveling. Never to far from Essex though, sadly. I've always wanted that feeling, that I could escape it." She sighed as he opened the door for her.

"I've felt the same." He said quietly.

They had their orders taken, then she considered 2D her official friend. Her first official friend in two years. Maybe it would bloom into a beautiful one? She didn't like trusting people, especially people she had only talked too once. But there was just something about this guy that drew her too him, and it was a strong feeling.

"So, what are you interested in, Julie?" He asked conversationally.

She said the first thing that popped into her head, "Zombie films." though she hadn't seen one in forever.

"I love zombie films!" He exclaimed.

She shivered, "Zombies terrify me, but I have this off sense of obsessive fascination with them."

"Yeah, same here. They move so slow, it's creepy."

They spent the rest of the time talking about zombies and drinking coffee.

2D glanced at the clock as he took the last shot of his cappuccino, "Oh shit." He got up and threw a twenty down on the table, "I have to get back before my mates flip on me." She watched him get up, she had no where to go, and nothing to do. "Uhmm… do you have a place to stay?"

"Yes." she lied, and nodded her head once. She couldn't help the smile on her face.

"All right. Well I'll get to see you around then. Bye."

"Bye 2d." She waved as he rushed out the door. Then she slumped into the chair, already missing his company.

She didn't know what it was about him, maybe the fact that she had been without a friend for a few years, and finally having someone to converse with was a good feeling. She looked around, noticing how quiet the dim little café actually was without her new found friend. Apathetically, she lit a cigarette and sat alone; wishing she didn't have to lie, wishing she actually had a place to stay.

The bell on top of the door rang again, and I looked up and saw a breathless 2D, "I… I didn't get your name."

"Julie. Julia Ruckus." I exhaled smoke.

He nodded, "I'll be on the look out for you Julie. I had a load of fun."

She nodded nonchalantly, "Me too."

They said their goodbyes again. A few minutes later, she got up and left.


End file.
